glory
Americannoun
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glories
plural
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very great praise, honor, or distinction bestowed by common consent; renown.
to win glory on the field of battle.
-
something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration; a distinguished ornament or an object of pride.
a sonnet that is one of the glories of English poetry.
-
adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving.
Give glory to God.
-
resplendent beauty or magnificence.
the glory of autumn.
- Synonyms:
- effulgence, refulgence, brilliance
-
a state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity.
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a state of absolute happiness, gratification, contentment, etc..
She was in her glory when her horse won the Derby.
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the splendor and bliss of heaven; heaven.
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a ring, circle, or surrounding radiance of light represented about the head or the whole figure of a sacred person, as Christ or a saint; a halo, nimbus, or aureole.
verb (used without object)
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glories,
present (3rd person singular)
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gloried,
past participle, past
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glorying
present participle
-
to exult with triumph; rejoice proudly (usually followed byin ).
Their father gloried in their success.
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Obsolete. to boast.
interjection
idioms
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glory days / years, the time of greatest achievement, popularity, success, or the like.
the glory days of radio.
-
go to glory, to die. Also go to one's glory.
noun
-
exaltation, praise, or honour, as that accorded by general consent
the glory for the exploit went to the captain
-
something that brings or is worthy of praise (esp in the phrase crowning glory )
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thanksgiving, adoration, or worship
glory be to God
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pomp; splendour
the glory of the king's reign
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radiant beauty; resplendence
the glory of the sunset
-
the beauty and bliss of heaven
-
a state of extreme happiness or prosperity
verb
-
to triumph or exult
-
obsolete (intr) to brag
interjection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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glorysimple
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gloriessimple
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have gloriedperfect
-
has gloriedperfect
-
am gloryingprogressive
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are gloryingprogressive
-
is gloryingprogressive
-
have been gloryingperfect progressive
-
has been gloryingperfect progressive
Past
-
gloriedsimple
-
had gloriedperfect
-
was gloryingprogressive
-
were gloryingprogressive
-
had been gloryingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glory
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French glorie, from Latin glōria
Explanation
Glory is brilliant, radiant beauty. You might admire a princess in all her glory, since she seems almost too gorgeous to be real. Glory is also a term that is sometimes used in a religious way. It means the glow or light that appears around the head of a holy person or saint, like a halo. Another use of glory is a state of high honor gained from great achievements. If you have heard the expression "you're in your glory," it means that you are very happy and proud — you must have reached one of your big goals.
Vocabulary lists containing glory
Beowulf vocabulary
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The Star Spangled Banner
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"Revolution 2.0," Vocabulary from the memoir
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But Ricky Bobby’s return to glory was about more than the importance of humility and friendship.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Jorge was Messi's agent since he was 14, watching him become one of the sport's greatest ever players and at his side when he captained his country to World Cup glory in 2022.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Reaching a semifinal is coming within a hair’s breadth of glory, because after a World Cup final, there’s nothing left,” Barton said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
"Zhang Xue has brought glory to China, so I want to support him," said Hu Zhaomeng, picking up his gleaming red 500 model from a Chongqing dealership.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
All of this just so he would get all the glory and the power.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Insisting on both the singularity of Gaudí’s vision and the glories of artistic collaboration, the Sagrada Família woos believer and nonbeliever alike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Sometimes they featured celebrities recounting past glories or promoting their newest releases.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
Instead, what I heard too many of the candidates evoke was the glories of the past — their past.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
A defiant Djokovic said he never doubted that he could relive past glories.
From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026
Eddie planted morning glories to run over the door and Hazel acquired some rather rare fuchsia bushes planted in five-gallon cans which made the entrance formal and a little cluttered.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Imagine how popular that was to the hot-rodders and cruisers and suburban commuters who gloried in being two- or three-car households.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2023
"I think the critics are looking backwards to a gloried past, and fail to see the strategic picture vis a vis China and technology in a really disappointing way," he says.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2023
In addition to academic pursuits, Richard began to write more popularly for the short-lived Opus, The New Republic and The Times, developing a reputation as America’s public musicologist, a role he gloried in.
From New York Times ● Jul. 3, 2022
I had taken off my head covering because of the heat and then stood in the open and gloried in the cool rain as it beaded on my head.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 18, 2022
Amari gloried in its warmth, for her head felt thick, like it had been packed with straw.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
As shooting began in fall 2016, the show was imagined as a portrait of a woman in power, which would open with a scene of Diane glorying in the inauguration of Hillary Clinton.
From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2022
She said he "wasn't provided with the assistance he required" in the community, adding the way he "vacillates" when talking to police make it difficult to indicate "wilful glorying" over the death.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2021
Ed. note: I will be on vacation next week, glorying in the delights of the 35th state so we will have to leave the mailbag aside for a while.
From Fox News ● Jul. 26, 2019
She ventures into the realm of unembarrassed feeling, letting her voice curl upward to the limit of her register, glorying in the sound and the momentum of her words as much as in their meaning.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 15, 2015
Theresa gave an encore; the family leaned over the rail like operagoers, glorying in the sound.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
